[Cryptography] "Most Americans Don't Mind Being on Candid Camera"

[ianG]

On 23/03/2015 10:53 am, Jerry Leichter wrote:
> Maybe the most important job for those of us concerned about security is convincing our fellow citizens that there's something to be concerned about.
>
> Depressing article:
> http://www.psmag.com/nature-and-technology/most-americans-ok-with-surveillance


Personally I think the surveillance genie is out of the bottle and will 
never go back.  Over the long term, technology trumps law, not the other 
way around.


However, what I am not keen on - actually what I think is the threat to 
the very nature of the democratic and free societies we were taught 
about in school - is that the intelligence agencies then use their broad 
and well-funded surveillance powers on everyone, *and then hand the data 
over to the police*.

That way lies the police state.  And for that, there is no excuse, 
because we were all (*) alive and aware when the Berlin Wall came down.

Spying on everyone is fine - for national security.  But there is a 
long-standing taboo between mixing national / military affairs with 
domestic / criminal affairs.



iang


(*) ok, I know that's not technically true, but ...